DEFEATED SANITY's JACOB SCHMIDT On The Riffs That Taught Me

Defeated Sanity bassist Jacob Schmidt is the latest guest on The Riffs That Taught Me, where he traces his musical DNA through a trio of tracks that helped define his approach to heaviness, precision, and groove.

The episode opens with Suffocation's "Breeding the Spawn", a cornerstone of brutal death metal whose tangled riffs and unrelenting intensity set a new bar for extremity.

From there, the conversation takes a turn into progressive territory with Symphony X's "Sea of Lies." The song's dramatic structure and neoclassical flair highlight another side of Schmidt's influences, emphasizing dynamics, composition, and the importance of musicianship beyond speed alone.

Closing out the episode is a double dose of thrash royalty: Megadeth's "Holy Wars… The Punishment Due" and "Tornado of Souls." And what's there even to say about both those tracks? Absolute classics.

Defeated Sanity recently announced their first U.S. headline tour in support of Chronicles of Lunacy, which is going down April and May. The tour kicks off on April 16 at the Parish HOB in Anaheim, CA and wraps up on May 16 at the Backstage Bar in Las Vegas, NV.

Supporting Defeated Sanity for all 27 dates on next year's headlining coast-to-coast run of the U.S. are South African heavies Vulvodynia and New Zealand death metal slammers Organectomy. Excresence, Scasm and Horrific Vision will join on select dates. Get your tickets here.

Defeated Sanity, Vulvodynia, Organectomy & Excrescence

4/16 Anaheim CA Parish HOB
4/17 Fresno CA Fulton 55
4/18 Santa Rosa CA The California
4/19 Sacramento CA Starlet
4/21 Seattle WA El Corazon
4/22 Portland OR Dantes
4/23 Boise ID Shredder
4/24 Salt Lake City UT Aces High Saloon
4/25 Denver CO HQ
4/27 Milwaukee WI X Ray Arcade

Defeated Sanity, Vulvodynia, Organectomy & Scasm

4/28 West Chicago IL Social Club
4/29 Indianapolis IN Black Circle
4/30 Cleveland OH Grog Shop
5/1 Rochester NY Montage Music Hall
5/2 Clifton NJ Dingbatz
5/3 Baltimore MD Metro
5/4 Raleigh NC Chapel of Bones
5/5 Jacksonville FL The Albatross
5/6 Tampa FL Orpheum
5/7 Orlando FL Conduit

Defeated Sanity, Vulvodynia, Organectomy & Horrific Visions

5/8 Pensacola FL Handlebar
5/9 Houston TX Pub 529
5/11 Dallas TX Three Links
5/12 Austin TX Come and Take It Live
5/13 Lubbock TX Jakes
5/15 Phoenix AZ Nile Underground
5/16 Las Vegas NV Backstage Bar